A few years ago, after a lively round-table discussion about regional authors, I overheard an audience member exclaim, “North Carolina is the writingest state!”

That remark may sound like hyperbole, but North Carolina does have a long and honorable tradition of producing accomplished writers – and Georgann Eubanks is the go-to authority about our state’s literary history.

The Gaston County Public Library is pleased to host Literary Trails of the North Carolina Piedmont, a multi-media presentation exploring the literature and writers of the North Carolina Piedmont’s past and present by Eubanks, an award-winning author and educator.

This free public event at 2 p.m. Saturday is cosponsored by the American Association of University Women/Gaston Chapter and Friends of the Gaston County Public Library in partnership with the North Carolina Humanities Council Road Scholars program. It will be held in the auditorium of the Gaston County Public Library, 1555 E. Garrison Blvd., Gastonia.

Why has the North Carolina Piedmont — and Charlotte in particular — produced so many writers of mystery and crime novels? How has the textile mill culture influenced Piedmont literature throughout the 20th and into the 21st century? What are the roots of North Carolina’s extraordinary proliferation of creative writers?

Based on her guidebook, Eubanks answers these questions and takes readers on a multi-media literary tour of the North Carolina Piedmont’s past and present.

“Literary Trails of the North Carolina Piedmont” (2010) is actually the second of Eubanks’ three-volume series of Literary Trails books which were published by The University of North Carolina Press in association with the North Carolina Arts Council. The first volume (2007) explored the “Literary Trails of the North Carolina Mountains”; “Literary Trails of Eastern North Carolina” was published in 2013.

Eubanks is a writer and consultant with more than 25 years of experience in the nonprofit sector. In addition to the critically-acclaimed Literary Trails…series, she has published short stories, poems, reviews, and profiles in numerous magazines and journals, including Oxford American, Bellingham Review, Southern Review, Boston Globe Sunday Magazine, and North American Review.

In addition to writing, Eubanks moved into the documentary field 15 years ago. Over her career she has worked in a variety of settings, teaching creative writing in public schools, prisons, and corporate settings, and through the continuing education program at Duke University.

As a documentary writer and producer, Eubanks has been involved in projects tackling issues in education, the arts, organized religion, philanthropy, and economic development.

The Jan. 4 program is appropriate for adults and teens. No reservations are required for individuals and families; advance reservations are suggested for organized groups to ensure seating. In case of bad weather, the event will be rescheduled to Jan. 11.